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Two Chinese sturgeons (Acipenser sinensis) bred in Xiamen have been selected by the Ministry of Agriculture recently as a gift for Hong Kong. They will be joined by three others of their kind from the Beijing Aquarium when they arrive on May 12 at Ocean Park -- their new home, where a welcoming ceremony will be held in June.
A rare aquatic wild species found only in China, the Chinese Sturgeon is the oldest known vertebrate in the world, whose presence can be traced back to the Cretaceous Period some 140 million years ago. It now lives mainly in the Yangtze River (Changjiang). That's why it is sometimes called a "living fossil".
The two Chinese sturgeons from Xiamen were bred at the Xiamen Chinese Sturgeon Conservation and Protection Facility, which is affiliated to the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences. According to sources at Xiamen City's Ocean and Fishery Bureau, the two chosen Chinese sturgeons are members of the "first generation by healthy artificial breeding" and are now mature.
They now measure about two metres long, slightly bigger than the three "cousins" from Beijing Aquarium. The source said those five will serve the purpose of "scientific research and popularization" at Ocean Park, where local residents and tourists can get a close look at the rare aquatic wildlife species. Five Ocean Park experts who went to Xiamen to witness the selection process earlier this month said they were satisfied with the two chosen Chinese sturgeons, which have been separated from the others in preparation for their journey to Hong Kong.
Xiamen city plans to hold a relocation ceremony for the two Chinese sturgeons at their present home on May 12. They will then be put in a custom-made water tank within seven hours and trucked all the way to Hong Kong. Scientists from the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute and Hong Kong have all approved the safety measures for the transportation process. ■春 生 資深翻譯員
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